Biz List Search

Q: I need to build a ramp that will allow me to get my lawn tractor into an
outdoor shed that has a wood floor. Can you help me? I want to make sure the ramp doesn’t fail and
is not dangerous.

A: You should be able to accomplish this job in a weekend.

First, determine the slope of the ramp. Try to keep the slope around 11 or 12 degrees — about 2
inches of rise for every 12 inches of run. Steep ramps can be dangerous when wet, and lawn mowers
with low-hanging blades can hang up where the ramp meets the floor.

I prefer to use all treated lumber for outdoor ramps: 4-by-4-inch timbers for the ramp supports,
covered with treated three-quarter-inch plywood.

How you attach the ramp to the shed is critical. Engineer the ramp so the plywood overlaps by at
least 4 inches the framing lumber at the shed’s doorway. This often means you have to nail
additional framing lumber to the inside face of the outer floor joist of the shed. The outer floor
joist of the shed and the added framing lumber have to be cut away to have the same slope as the
ramp.

Attach a simple treated 2-by-4 to the face of the outer shed floor joist. This acts like a tiny
beam to support the ends of the 4-by-4s that make up the supports for the ramp. I notch the bottoms
of the 4-by-4s so they sit flat on the 2-by-4 ledge. The top of each 4-by-4 is flush with the
beveled floor joist of the shed.

Space the 4-by-4s 2 feet on center to provide plenty of support for the three- quarter-inch
plywood. Put an additional 4-by-4 where the 4-by-4s touch the ground. This 4-by-4 runs
perpendicular to the ends of the ramp 4-by- 4s. It acts as a beam to support the ramp timbers and
helps keep the ends all in the same plane.

The 4-by-4 that supports the ends of the ramp timbers needs to be placed below grade so that the
end of the ramp ends up touching the ground.

Most of the ramps I’ve built are no more than 8 feet long. If you have to build a longer ramp,
you will probably have to add support under the ramp 4-by-4s. You want the ramp to be solid, not
like a trampoline.

Tim Carter is a columnist for Tribune Media Services. He can be reached via his website,
www.askthebuilder.com.